Oct 25, 2012

The hurdles and benefits of decluttering: my personal experience

As I’ve
shared in a previous post, I’ve been decluttering my personal space. I started
about a month ago, and I’ve been doing it little by little.

How I’m doing it

I started with
no established plan. Since my life is already full of activities (writing the
thesis, tutoring math, sewing for my shop, writing in the blog...) I figured I
had to keep it really simple. So I was just aiming to put away at least one
thing per day (but generally I would get rid of much more than one thing per
day!). Each object would go to recycle, trash, or would be donated. Then I joined
The Reverse 100 Thing Challenge, and started to collect at least 5 items per
day to donate.

The hurdles

In general it’s
difficult for me to trash anything that can’t be donated or recycled. The idea
of polluting the environment with my stuff is not a pleasant one. And this
encourages me to be much more mindful about the stuff I buy and bring into my space.
But if something is broken and can’t be recycled (or adapted to serve another
function), I guess I have no other option than trash it.

It has been
difficult to deal with ‘emotional stuff’. It’s interesting how seemingly
trivial stuff can trigger strong emotions. I find something I hadn’t seen in
years, and it suddenly brings back old memories that were almost forgotten. I’ve
decided that (at least for now) I can’t just throw it all away. I’m keeping one
(or two) shoe boxes of emotional stuff. This implies I’ll have to be very
selective, since I have a huge amount of such stuff! And I’m also photographing
what I decide to throw away but don't wish to forget about.

Sometimes
it’s difficult to distinguish between what’s important, and what’s not
important. This is particularly true for paperwork. But I believe I’m getting
better at this. Generally in case of doubt, I just get rid of it. And so I'm
recycling a considerable percentage of my paperwork – and, I admit, it feels
great!

The benefits

Even though
I am currently all for simplicity, I was living in a very cluttered
environment. As I’ve said before, I’m a keeper. When I was a child, my family
lived on a very tight budget. We used donated clothes and I would ‘inherit’ almost
all of my older brother clothes (and yes, I’m a girl). Christmas gifts were
few, and buying a book was something that we just didn’t do, even though I am
an avid reader since an early age – instead I was a regular at the local
library. So I guess I learned to cherish and keep EVERYTHING. And really, I’m
29 and I think I had never decluttered a thing. I have all my school books since
my first year of school, I have (well, had) all magazines I ever bought, almost
all my clothing since baby, all my agendas, journals and notebooks, etc. Phew…

So, this
decluttering thing is new to me. And one of the first things I noticed is that
I was living in the middle of a lot of garbage! Ok, many things aren't
garbage, but others (clearly) are. And before starting the decluttering
process, I was convinced that everything was necessary, and that I just needed
more storage space and better organizing skills. So it’s been a breeze to see all
that stuff disappear and to see my space miraculously getting wider!

Another
thing I’ve been learning is that I have much more than I need. If you would ask
me months ago if I had enough clothing, I would say: “Absolutely not! If only I
had more money to buy all the clothes I need in order to feel good/beautiful/stylish…
But one day I will!” Yes, this is frivolous, but this is how I thought, perhaps
on a semi-conscious level. Somehow, I never seemed to have enough. And now…
Well, I realized I have many good clothing I’m not even wearing, and that,
indeed, what I have is enough. And this takes away the anxiety of picking
clothes each morning, and also takes away that nagging sense of never being well
enough dressed.

While
picking stuff to donate I’m filled with a sense of joy. Sharing is a great antidepressant!
I think of all the stuff that was just sitting around, and it’s really great to
give it to someone who’ll actually give it some use.

A final word

It’s wonderful
to be starting this new path towards simplicity. I believe this is a profound
journey. A journey that may begin with simplifying material possessions, but
which certainly evolves at the soul level…

6 comments:

Great work. The reasoning behind my simplifying is the same as yours. to simplify at an emotional level in the end. too much baggage being carried around everywhere!

It's amazing when others see the benefits of decluttering, and simplifying. What you said about buying more storage space and organising better is so true! but if we get rid of the stuff, then we have more space without buying any storage!

I'm doing Project 333, theproject333.com - and it's great fun! I did the quick start course in September and have now got 33 items of clothing for the next 3 months, all the rest is boxed up! well done again on your decluttering effort!

Hi Mopsa,So interesting to read how you're getting on. Your words resonate with me as although I've been decluttering for two years now, I'm still not there yet. I haven't been buying anything new that wasn't essential but still have way too much. Therefore I'm beginning another purge. I already feel so much happier with less stuff and, like you, I am amazed at the effect it has had in other areas of my life. But I need to continue this process. Btw I've added you to my sidebar xo

Hi dolly!Thank you for reading, and for sharing your experience :) Yes, it’s amazing how decluttering can be so refreshing! It definitely helps change my mindset to one of simplicity and meaningfulness. Ah! And thank you so much for adding me to your sidebar! I’m adding you too :)

I love decluttering. It's definitely good for the soul! Like you I have started considering what I bring into my house in the first place. It saves money too because I don't want get tempted to buy random clutter!Great post :)